Approximately 100 tons of steel plate have been cut and fabricated, marking the beginning of the production phase for NSC 4. The steel was cut after the Coast Guard’s Gulf Coast Project Resident Office validated that all scheduled NSC 4 pre‐fabrication activities had been completed.

The Hamilton is the first NSC to be awarded directly to Huntington Ingalls Industries via a fixed‐price incentive contract. The next milestone for the Hamilton will be its keel laying, which is scheduled for August 2012.

The NSC is the flagship of the Coast Guard’s recapitalized fleet. At 418 feet long and with robust command‐and‐control systems, the NSC has the advanced technological capabilities needed to execute the most demanding homeland security missions. It also features a small boat stern launch and a helicopter flight deck. Celebrating the start of fabrication for the U.S. Coast Guard’s fourth National Security Cutter, Hamilton, at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Steel Fabrication Shop in Pascagoula, Miss., are (left to right) Lt. Dave Osborne, test lead, hull and electrical; Jim French, deputy program manager, NSC Programs; and Len Janowski, ship design manager, Surface Ship Combatants. Photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The Coast Guard plans to acquire eight NSCs. The lead cutter in the class, Bertholf, and the second NSC, Waesche, are fully operational and performing Coast Guard missions in the field. The third NSC, Stratton, recently completed successful acceptance trials and is scheduled to be delivered to the Coast Guard in early September.